Senior Project

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Senior Project

• Greenbrier High School
• 2008 - 2009

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Senior Teachers!

• Ms. Natalie Brody (not able to attend)
• Ms. Kim Buchanan
• Ms. Amy Herndon
• Ms. Karen Hickman
• Ms. Angela Hughston
• Ms. Jennifer Knight
• Ms. Jenny Lowery
• Ms. Amy Rinehart
• Ms. Andrea Wagner (Co-coordinator)

• All accessible by
• e-mail linked to
• the GHS website!

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Senior Project Main Components

• Research Paper
• Product
• Portfolio
• Presentation

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Starting the Process

• Senior teachers will hand out the Senior Project
  Manual during the first week of school and
  discuss the Senior Project at length with all
  classes.
• Lots of questions answered during this time and
  lots of discussion on potential project topics
  seniors can pursue!

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First Nine Weeks

• Consider and discuss potential topic ideas with
  your parents and senior teacher
• Decide on project and research paper topics and
  compose your Letter of Intent
• Receive Letter of Intent back (senior teacher
  indicates approval of topic with return of letter)

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First Nine Weeks, Continued

• Locate and secure Mentor based on topic
  choice-See Informal Helpers and page two of
  your Senior Project manual for guidelines on
  selecting a mentor.
• Create your Sign of Commitment-to be posted in
  front entrance area of school
• Interview an expert-Compose Interview Report
• Conduct research for and complete Annotated
  Bibliography

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Research Paper

• Approved topic linked to Senior Project topic
• 5-8 pages long
• Grade counts 25 of the 2nd nine weeks average
• Due in November (Final draft due date set by each
  senior teacher, but ALL are due no later than
  Mon, November 24.

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Product and Portfolio

• Product
• Must be a stretch
• 15 hours
• Combined grade counts 25 of 3rd nine weeks
  average
• Start now!
• Due date is Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009.

• Portfolio
• Must include pictures, documents, e-mails,
• pamphlets, business cards, etc. for verification
  
• purposes
• Start saving everything
• now!
• Due same day as Product-Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009.

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How to Stretch

• Preliminary Project Idea Write a few music
  selections and learn to play them
• How to Stretch Teach a young child how to play
  the piano and he/she performs a mini recital
  (even more of a stretch)
• How to Stretch Work with a local
  elementary/middle school music program and
  organize and conduct a grade-level production

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Board Presentation

• formal presentation
• 8-10 minute speech about entire project
  experience
• 4-7 volunteer judges
• Grade counts 25 of 4th nine weeks
• April 21st, 22nd, or 23rd

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The Keys to Success

• Maintain a positive attitude!
• Make the right choice!
• DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!

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Informal Helpers

• Choose a topic you will thoroughly enjoy-it will
  be with you all year!
• Carefully select a mentor -if he/she does not
  seem all too enthusiastic to help you, chances
  are he/she is not. Move on to someone who is!

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Informal Helpers, Continued

• Be sure you have carefully investigated the
  expenses you might incur before you commit to any
  project. Running out of money in the middle of
  your project presents a big problem!
• Be careful when paying a mentor for lessons of
  any kind. Try to pursue lessons through
  reputable schools and training courses. Be sure
  you have a contract that spells out your recourse
  of securing a refund if a difficulty with your
  mentor arises.

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Informal Helpers, Continued

• Maintain continued contact with your mentor for
  the duration of your project. If you secure a
  mentor in September and dont work on your
  product until January, your mentor may have
  forgotten you!
• Parents-continue to ask your seniors questions
  about their senior project experiences throughout
  the year. Keeping an open dialogue about what is
  going on will be a big help to them, especially
  if problems have come up and your son/daughter
  needs guidance.

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Technology Helpers (Compliments of our Tech
resources.)

• 1)  If you have a later version of Microsoft
  Office at home than we have here at school (most
  have 2007), you need to save all files as an
  earlier version (2002) before you leave home so
  it will open up here at school where we have
  Office 2002 and Office 2003.  This applies to
  Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher.
• 2) If you have Microsoft Works at home, you need
  to save all document as Word documents before
  leaving home so it will open here at school and
  vice versa.  Only one computer in the whole
  school has Works, and it is in the media center.
• 3) If you create a video using the Windows Vista
  version of Windows Moviemaker, you must complete
  the project at home because you will not be able
  to edit it here at school where we have the XP
  version.  Once you have rendered the final
  project, it should play through Windows Media
  Player anywhere.  
• Most of this is covered on John Robelens
  technology webpage on the schools website
  http//www.ccboe.net/gbh/departments/technology/ho
  me.html

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Questions?